Humanities & Society

The dark clouds of volcanic ash that have closed airports and stranded travelers for days on end may have a silver lining, suggests an expert on human creativity from Washington University in St. Louis. Like it or note, stranded travelers around the globe are suddenly finding themselves with a lot of unscheduled time on their hands, and idle time is a key ingredient to becoming more creative in your personal and professional lives.

Congress recently passed the much anticipated and greatly debated health reform legislation, but what does this mean for the St. Louis region and the rest of the country? The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis will host a public panel discussion titled “What to Expect from Health Reform: Implications for the Region and the Nation,” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in Steinberg Hall Auditorium.

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the annual Thurtene Carnival Friday through Sunday, April 23-25. The event, which features carnival rides, games, food, theater, dance and music, is the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the United States.

As part of her visit to Washington University to attend the opening of her play, Metamorphoses, playwright Mary Zimmerman will give an Assembly Series talk on “Bodies I Have in Mind: Adapting Ancient Texts for the Stage,” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, in Graham Chapel.

Thanks in part to an ambitious and enthusiastic group of Washington University School of Medicine’s employees, the school is a “greener” place than it was one year ago.

Entrepreneurs dedicated to helping empower and build strong communities have reached the final stage of the annual business plan competition sponsored by the YouthBridge Foundation and the Skandalaris Center at WUSTL. The seven finalists have presented their business plans to the judges who will award $155,000 in seed money to the winners. The award ceremony takes place April 13 after a keynote speech by Kevin Salwen who has just published a book about his family’s experience with selling their home, living with less and giving back to their community.

The Jane and Whitney Harris Community Service Award was presented to Geraldine and Robert Virgil for their outstanding contributions to the St. Louis region.

Social commentator, actress and comedian Nancy Giles will explore why “Mentoring Matters” for the Assembly Series at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 15 in Graham Chapel. The talk is free and open to the public.

The 20th annual Pow Wow, a festival of American Indian cultures, opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 10, in the Field House. Visitors and participants will be able to enjoy dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts and food. The daylong event, hosted by the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School, is free and open to the public.

Parents, schools and communities need to be involved in combating the epidemic of childhood obesity, Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, says.